A sign says 'No Entry' as curfew continues in eight districts of the Jammu region
The Supreme Court today asked the Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary to file a detailed affidavit on Kishtwar clashes and the subsequent steps taken by the state government. The Kishtwar violence continued to remain a political flashpoint with noisy protests in Parliament by the Bharatiya Janata Party members. The party was also engaged in a slanging match with Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah over the issue.
Here are the latest developments:
Kishtwar town remains tense after 11 people, including two policemen, were arrested yesterday for clashes which broke out on Eid. In Jammu, over 110 have been arrested. Curfew continues in eight districts of the Jammu region.
The BJP hit back at Omar Abdullah today, calling him factually incorrect after the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister accused the party of hypocrisy and ignoring major lapses by Narendra Modi during the Gujarat violence in 2002.
The BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted today: "1 Mar 2002 followed Feb 28.No days in between! Army called on Feb 28, deployed 1 Mar. "Waited days to call out the army..." Shri Omar Abdullah where are the facts?"
In Lok Sabha, the BJP's Yogi Adityanath demanded that an all-party delegation visit Kishtwar. Parliament was adjourned in the afternoon after noisy protests over the violence.
The Jammu and Kashmir minister of state for home Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, accused by the opposition of having a hand in the incidents, resigned yesterday.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced that the Amarnath Yatra, halted for three days, will resume from Jammu today with army convoys escorting the yatris.
Mobile internet services remained suspended throughout Jammu and Kashmir for the third day today.
In Parliament yesterday, the BJP's Arun Jaitley ardently objected to his detention in Jammu on Sunday by the state government to keep him from visiting Kishtwar. He compared it to "censorship" and said, "Kashmir is not the private property of one family."
The J&K chief minister was backed by Acting Home Minister P Chidambaram who pointed out that there was "strict curfew" and rejected the BJP's contention that curfew cannot impede the visit of a leader of Mr Jaitey's stature. "It is status neutral," he said.
Opposition parties have alleged that the Kashmir government was warned by intelligence agencies of escalating tension, and that the army was called in too late to help restore law and order.
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